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Looking for a delicious and easy dinner recipe? Try this classic chicken parmesan dish, complete with crispy chicken, rich and tangy tomato sauce, and gooey melted cheese. Perfect for a family dinner or special occasion!
Serve with our Tomato Salad for a healthier dinner!
It is difficult to find a dish that is more representative of Italian American cuisine than Chicken Parm! You can search Italy far and wide, and you will come up with nothing. Nope, this baby, although inspired by Italian flavours, is all American.
What’s in a name?
What word comes to mind when you think of the classic chicken parmesan? Is it “crispy” or “saucy”? As strange as it sounds, this dish is somehow both.
Breaded chicken cutlets and a delicious basil and garlic flavoured tomato sauce are two things, which describe this recipe perfectly. Actually, there is a third. Cheese. And plenty of it.
The recipe itself originated in the US and was created by Italian Americans. Despite its cult following, chicken parmesan aka chicken Parmigiana is a relatively new creation, not even 100 years old.
It was, however, inspired by two authentic and ancient Italian recipes. They are Eggplant Parmesan and Cotoletta, a flattened piece of meat, usually veal, that is breaded and fried.
Crispy chicken parm
Like with every recipe that’s been around for a while, we can count on our fair share of good and bad experiences. The reason why I haven’t been tempted to recreate it for this website until now is because many versions I’ve tried were underwhelming to say the least.
Chicken Parm is a tricky recipe. One one hand we expect to bite into a perfectly crispy breaded exterior with juicy chicken inside. And on the other hand, it’s baked in a sauce!
Those two simply cannot co-exist. What we taste in the end is a breaded chicken that’s gone soggy in the sauce. So it just tastes rich and heavy! Not for me.
There is a way to cook this recipe well, which will keep the chicken coating delightfully crispy and we don’t have to sacrifice the sauce.
Here is my version which I’m convinced is the best Chicken Parmesan. The trick is to use some restraint with the sauce until right before serving. This way the sauce is still there for flavour and moisture, but because the chicken isn’t cooked in it, there is no time for the chicken to become soggy.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- I always start with the sauce. I make a very simple red sauce, which I flavour with garlic and basil. It’s my basic pasta sauce, which I also use for Eggplant Parmesan.
- I don’t butterfly the chicken. I keep the entire breast but pound the thicker end until it’s even with the thin one. A This is an affiliate link.meat mallet is ideal, although a This is an affiliate link.rolling pin can also work. This way the chicken doesn’t dry out after being fried, then cooked in the oven.
- I season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. I find they come out under-seasoned if the salt is only in the breading.
- The only breadcrumbs I use are This is an affiliate link.Panko. They deliver much crispier breading than traditional breadcrumbs do. It’s all down to how they are made, which is fascinating. Google it if you are interested!
- Panko breadcrumbs get mixed with grated This is an affiliate link.Parmesan cheese for another layer of seasoning and flavour.
- After I dredge the chicken in flour, seasoned with salt, eggs and the breadcrumb mix, I fry it until golden brown in extra virgin olive oil, although you can also use butter.
- Now all I do to go from a breaded chicken to chicken parmesan is spread a dollop of the sauce on each breast, then top it with a slice of fresh mozzarella and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. Then cook in the oven at high temperature for a melty top!
- You are probably wondering about all that leftover sauce. Don’t worry, you will serve your chicken on top of a ladleful of the sauce. But wait till the last minute to do so. We don’t want the chicken to go soggy after all.
Serving Suggestions
Traditionally, this chicken gets served with pasta since it comes with a nice sauce. However, you can lighten it up by pairing with a salad or cooked vegetables. Our roasted parmesan broccoli with sun-dried tomatoes or warm zucchini salad come to mind. Both inspired by Italian flavours.
I like to sprinkle mine with chopped fresh basil just before serving.
Storage and leftovers
Leftovers will keep for 3-4 days when refrigerated in an This is an affiliate link.airtight container. Or up to 6 months in the freezer.
Since we’re working so hard to make chicken parmesan that is crispy on the outside, we need to find a way to reheat it that keeps it intact. The best way to do this is in an This is an affiliate link.air fryer. It will be ready in less than 5 minutes, depending on your model.
Make sure you don’t crowd the air fryer, which prevents the air from moving around the chicken. Reheat the chicken in batches if needed.
If you don’t have an air fryer, an oven can work as well. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F, and put the chicken in on a This is an affiliate link.baking sheet or dish with a wire rack to allow the hot air to flow around it.
More Italian Chicken Recipes
- Chicken Arrabiata with Herb and Garlic Breadcrumbs
- Tuscan Chicken with Saffron Cream Sauce
- Best Chicken Marsala
- Italian Rosemary Chicken
Classic Chicken Parmesan
Equipment
- This is an affiliate link.Ceramic baking dish
- This is an affiliate link.Non-stick frying pan
- This is an affiliate link.Meat tenderizer
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp This is an affiliate link.olive oil
- 1 clove garlic
- 500g/2 cups This is an affiliate link.tomato passata/crushed tomatoes
- 2-3 basil leaves, chopped
- 125ml/1/2 cup water
- salt to taste
- 4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
- 2 tsp salt , divided
- 1 tsp pepper
- 70g/1/2 cup flour
- 2 eggs
- 120g/1 cup This is an affiliate link.Panko breadcrumbs
- 50g/1/2 cup This is an affiliate link.Parmesan cheese, grated
- 125g/4 oz fresh mozzarella ball, sliced
Instructions
- Make the sauce by heating one tablespoon of olive oil in a medium-sized saucepan, add 1 whole garlic clove and let it cook for 30 seconds or so to flavour the oil, then take it out and discard. Pour in the passata or crushed tomatoes, torn basil leaves and a pinch of salt, add ½ cup water, let it simmer oven medium heat for 10 minutes. Taste and add more salt if needed. If the sauce is too acidic, add a teaspoon of sugar. Keep warm and set aside. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.
- Lay the chicken breasts on a work surface and cover in two layers of plastic wrap. Pound flat with a meat mallet until the thicker part of the chicken breast is the same thickness as the end. Season with salt and pepper.
- Set three shallow bowls in front of you and add the beaten eggs to one, the flour mixed with the remaining salt to the second and the breadcrumbs mixed with half of the Parmesan cheese to the third.
- Now bread the chicken by dredging it in the flour first, then dipping it in beaten eggs, then coating in the breadcrumb mixture. Set aside till needed.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan, then fry the chicken in it over medium heat for 5 minutes or until golden on both sides. Press on the chicken breast in the first few seconds of frying to ensure the coating is fully in contact with the pan surface. Add more oil if needed. Don't worry, the the chicken does not have to be fully cooked at this point.
- Place the fried chicken in a shallow baking dish in single layer, scoop ¼ cup of the tomato sauce over each chicken breast, make sure there is a part of the crispy coating is still exposed, then top with a slice of mozzarella cheese. Finish it off with the sprinkling of the remaining Parmesan cheese.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes until the cheese has melted and the chicken is cooked all the way through. Serve on top of the remaining sauce.
Notes
- There is no need to butterfly the chicken. Instead, pound the thicker end of the breast until it’s even with the thinner end. A This is an affiliate link.meat mallet or This is an affiliate link.rolling pin work for this. This step prevents the chicken from drying out after being fried and put in the oven.
- Panko are the best breadcrumbs to use. They result in much crispier breading than traditional breadcrumbs.
- After the breasts are dredged in flour, seasoned, and coated in breadcrumbs, I fry them in This is an affiliate link.extra virgin olive oil until they are golden brown. If you don’t want to use olive oil, butter can be used instead.
- I recommend only using a dollop of the sauce on each breast before topping with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese and cooking in the oven. But don’t worry, the rest gets put to work when it is time to serve because you can add a full ladleful of sauce at this point. Waiting till serving means that the crispy breaded chicken doesn’t have time to go soft while sitting in the sauce.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe is our favorite chicken Parmesan recipe now! I make it at least once a month, sometimes more! It’s so simple and oh so delicious!!!
Such a great review, Donna! I am so pleased you love this recipe!